


A Goodnight Kiss

by ohthathurt (cloisterrific_221B)



Series: Drabbles [5]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awkward Dates, Blind Date, Cutesy, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Miscommunication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-10 22:16:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15301212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloisterrific_221B/pseuds/ohthathurt
Summary: In which Liam inadvertently steals someone else’s date and completely ignores his own.





	A Goodnight Kiss

Okay, let’s be real here, Zayn didn’t exactly know what to expect from this date. All he knows is his mate, Niall, had another mate who had a brother or was it a cousin? He shook his head, no this was definitely too confusing to think about. He focused on the table in front of him, expensive cutlery glinting under the light from the large chandelier hanging in the middle of the room. This wasn’t exactly his cup of tea – blind dates. It was only because of Niall who convinced him to be here.

“You’ve  _never_  done blind dates? Seriously?  _You_?” Niall had exclaimed.

Zayn frowned, “What’s with the tone bro?”

“Oh no it’s just you’re kind of a serial dater, mate.”

“Oi!”

“What? It’s true!” But Niall was right, he  _did_  tend to date a lot. So sue him, he still hadn’t found the  _one._

He had always been hopeless at dating and frankly that showed in his dating records. Sure, he was a serial dater but it only takes for someone to ask how many of those actually went well to understand how bad he really is. He’s awkwardly bad at it, and not in the cute kind of rom-com protagonist way.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked around the restaurant, absently thinking of who Niall had set him up with.

Apparently, this guy was an online movie critic (whatever that is, Zayn can’t be bothered by someone’s profession) and was only average-looking but his personality and charm made up for it. Niall’s words and not his, of course, but Zayn had snorted violently into his pint of beer when he was told this. This resulted in Niall pelting him with spiced nuts from a bowl on the bar and being unceremoniously kicked out from the pub. Good times.

He took a deep breath to settle himself because already he could see a figure stumble into the restaurant, moving hastily like he was late (and his date was sort of five minutes late), one large hand clutched around a beautiful bunch of roses.

***

Blue was a pleasant colour, Liam thought frantically, as he rushed over to the pavement near the restaurant, but definitely not as pleasant when it was the icy cold disappointment shining in your best mate’s blue eyes. Louis was going to skin him if he was late because this was someone his boyfriend, Harry, knew very well and knowing how far up his boyfriend’s ass he was (Liam unfortunately has seen the harrowing sight) he wouldn’t let Liam screw this up.

Of course, he had been just as unhelpful describing his would-be date to Liam.

“Just look for the most gorgeous person there!” Louis had pompously declared to Liam.

“What? Lou, that is the worst description ever! There could be so many gorgeous people there.” Liam protested.

“Not all of the gorgeous people are gonna be sat alone on empty tables waiting for a date to show up are they?” Louis questioned, his eyebrows shooting comically up his forehead with each word.

Liam sighed, “What if there are?”

“Don’t be silly, Liam, that’s not gonna happen. Besides, how many blind dates could there possibly be happening that night?”

***

_Just look for the gorgeous person. On an empty table. Yeah, how hard can that be? Yes indeed, Louis how hard can it be to look for a gorgeous, beautiful even –_

His thoughts screeched to a halt as soon as he stumbled through the restaurant door. He was too caught up in what he saw to be embarrassed about it. That was because his eyes were trained on who was  _definitely_  the most gorgeous person here. Or ever, for that matter.

He had glanced up at Liam just as he stumbled through, ignoring the maitre’d’s hushed questions, and Liam felt like he would be damned in hell if he didn’t go near him.

He had raven-black hair, yeah  _raven_  is a word Liam never thought he’d use to describe someone’s hair and these beautiful, angelic eyes with lashes for ages. A sweet smile lit up his entire face, half covered in day-old scruff that Liam wanted to feel on his body forever, tongue peeking out from pink lips that looked as if they had been bitten into submission.

His head was tilted slightly back to look at Liam, and he saw the guy give him a quick once-over which Liam tried hard not to squirm at. Of course, that’s when reality hit him and he came back into himself as if pulled out from a trance. Immediately, his senses assaulted him, slight titters of conversation echoed in the restaurant and an insistent tinkling from above had him looking up to an opulent chandelier.

The movement caused him to realize he was still holding the bunch of roses he’d picked up from the floral shop before coming here. He all but shoved them into the guy’s face and winced slightly at his sharp gesture, expecting him to flinch but he only graced Liam with a bright grin. Long, delicate fingers trailed up the stems ( _de-thorned_ , Liam had made sure) and finally reached around Liam’s hands to clutch at the haphazardly thrown together bouquet.

He, and Liam really ought to learn his name by now, leaned in slightly to nose at the soft, deep red petals and seemed to swoon at the scent.

Meanwhile, Zayn couldn’t believe his luck. Online Movie Critic guy was winning in his dating books right now. Only slightly late, but looking like an absolute delectable pastry that just walked off the bakery shelves (he ought to stop hanging out with Niall) and presented him with roses of all flowers?

Sure roses seemed like a cliché and almost too-done choice for flowers, but Zayn’s favourite flower was a rose, be it any colour and a red rose on a romantic date? Yes, please.

Also, what the fuck was Niall talking about this guy being average in looks? He was handsome as hell, soft brown hair that were piled on top of his head in waves, a strand falling to his forehead, deep brown eyes that held such gentleness in them, the cutest button nose and a pair of sinful lips that were currently being licked at nervously, making them shine like raspberries in syrup.

Okay so maybe Zayn was hungry as well, but he would gratefully skip dinner to nibble on those lips. Still, he willed his libido to calm down, and smiled thankfully up at the guy, accepting his abrupt offering of roses.

Soon after, he sat down from across Zayn and the two shared a nervous look before bursting out laughing at the silliness of their situation.

Liam stopped laughing and cleared his throat before introducing himself, ‘Uhm, I’m Liam, and you are?”

“Oh, uh, it’s Zayn.” He offered awkwardly before biting his lip in nervousness,  _please don’t be awkward, please God don’t let him screw this up._

“Yeah it’s just my mate didn’t tell me your name, he only said to look for the most gorgeous person in the restaurant and I mean…” Liam trailed off awkwardly, hand coming up to rub his neck as he ducked his head down, breaking eye contact with Zayn.

Frankly, Zayn was surprised his lungs still worked since this guy,  _Liam,_ kept making him lose his breath. He blushed ferociously at his date’s words and smiled serenely at him before muttering a meek, “Thank you.”

Liam opened his mouth to,  _say what exactly?_  but his cellphone rang rather rudely in his jeans’ pocket. He cursed under his breath and brought his phone close to him before checking that it was Louis who was rude enough to call him on his date. He cut the call off without too much hassle and looked back up at Zayn apologizing quietly.

The man only shook his head and dismissed it. But before they could continue, Zayn’s own phone vibrated loudly on the table in between them, screen lighting up to let him know it was Niall calling. He gritted his teeth at the noise,  _so now that he actually meets someone amazing Niall decides to cockblock._

As soon as Zayn’s hand rose up to dismiss the call, Liam’s phone lit up yet again to signal a call from Louis. Both men laughed breathlessly at the insistence of their friends, with Liam excusing himself to go take the call. Zayn himself brought up his phone to his ear and accepted the call.

“Hey man what’s up, is everything alright?” Niall usually was never this bothered by something enough to call Zayn several times in a row.

“Zayn! Finally, dude, I’ve been calling for ages, I swear cell service is so shit wherever you are, the annoying lady kept saying it wasn’t connecting and then I – “

Yeah, Niall tended to ramble when he was worried.

“Wha-? Niall,  _Niall,_  why’d you call, mate? Is everything alright or not?”

“What, oh yeah, no it’s just I was worried you were gonna sit there for so long on your own so I just called to inform that he’s gonna be late, Mark just told me this.”

“Niall, what? Who? Who’s gonna be late where?” His friend made even less sense as he went on talking.

“ _James!_  Your date, James is gonna be late, he called to say he got roped into an extra meeting at work and – “

Zayn tuned out Niall’s rambling once again and turned to look at where Liam stood, his  _‘date’s’_  own face an incredulous expression as he talked to whoever on his phone.

***

Liam thought Louis was taking the piss at first.  _How’s the date going with Blake? Very funny, Louis!_

And he had tried to hang up but Louis had kept on talking and Liam’s heart had kept on sinking.

“Harry was adamant about Blake, he said she’s the liveliest person you’ll meet, Li, maybe she’ll add something to your boring personality eh?” Louis had gone on to laugh rather boisterously at his own joke but Liam was silent.  _This couldn’t be_.

He turned around to scan the restaurant and  _there_ , she sat, Liam guessed, Blake as her name was, looking less lively and more murderous at her empty table.  _Oh god, what had he done?_

He hung up silently on Louis, pocketing his phone, as he staggered a step towards Blake but stopped quickly to turn where Zayn was sitting.  _He was gone._

Liam scrambled to look for where he had gone, their table,  _Zayn’s table,_  now empty with the chair pulled back like he had left in a hurry. His heart dropped painfully, this really took the cake of all Bad Things to Happen to Liam Payne in 2017. His eyes stung in embarrassment and in a weird sense of loss, like Zayn was the one who got away, like years from now he would tell his grandchildren the sob story in a regretful tone.

He pulled himself out of his mini pity-session and made his way towards Blake, who caught him coming up to her with an apologetic face.

***

 _Yeah_ , Liam thought tiredly thirty minutes later, that was the shortest and most painfully awkward date and let-down ever. He was almost glad with how bad it was since the embarrassment seemed to soothe the pain he felt when he saw that Zayn was gone from the restaurant.

He sighed deeply, eyes downcast, as he left the restaurant five minutes after Blake left, refusing to make eye contact with any of the staff working there, worried they were going to laugh at him or throw pitiful looks at him.

A lone street lamp flickered as he stepped out onto the damp pavement overlooking an empty street. It was late, just after 9, and everything around Liam was shrouded in heavy shadows. That’s the reason he didn’t notice a figure leaning against the restaurant’s building only a few feet away from him. He jumped in surprise as the figure stood up straight and turned to face him, surrounded by cigarette smoke swirling mysteriously around him.

Liam didn’t have enough time to think whether he was curious or scared because the figure quickly dropped his cigarette butt and crushed a heavy black boot on it before stepping out into the dull yellow light from the street lamps.

 _It was Zayn,_  Liam’s heart leapt in his chest as shock painted his expression. He gulped audibly as the man continued to walk towards him and stopped a foot away, face carefully blank of expression.

A moment later, he spoke, “I’m not happy with you.” Zayn’s husky, smoke-roughened voice told Liam.

Liam only ducked his head and nodded slightly before choking out a, “I know.”

He stuffed his hands into his pocket and hunched his shoulders; he was ready for an onslaught of harsh words and a rude dismissal.

“I mean, you gave me roses, called me the most gorgeous person in that restaurant and now you won’t even wine and dine me properly?” Zayn finished voice alight with amusement  _and was that fondness?_

Liam’s head snapped up in surprise and he had only opened his mouth to blurt out a question before Zayn talked over him, “I expect a goodnight kiss,  _Leeyum.”_  A mischievious smile creeped onto his face as he ambled past Liam down the pavement, walking a few steps before he stopped and turned to call out. “You coming?”

Liam was by his side in a moment’s notice, boldly taking Zayn’s hand in his own,  _warm callous delicate-boned,_ that had the owner of said hand raising his eyebrows in surprise.

Both men smiled down at their hands intertwining and steps coordinating with each other’s as they marched off to god-knows-where for their date.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: ohthathurt


End file.
